1、 Course Background Introduction

Since 1994, Renmin University of China has offered the course of reading the original text of Camel Xiangzi for foreign students, which later developed into a compulsory course of "Language Analysis of Lao She's Works" and "Study of Chinese Classical Novels". The course selects three modern and contemporary literary classics, "Old Stories from the South of the City," "Rickshaw Boy," and "Life," with the aim of improving the Chinese language proficiency of international students through reading the original texts, while enhancing their understanding of Chinese social culture.

2、 Review of Related Research

Since the 1980s, the teaching of intermediate and advanced Chinese language and the application of literary works in textbooks have received attention. Early research focused on textbook writing, grammar, pragmatics, language style, and discussed the value and limitations of literary works in teaching. In the 21st century, research fields have further expanded, including grammar, vocabulary, cultural teaching, textbook selection and teaching methods, as well as paragraph, discourse, and style research. In recent years, the selection of textbooks has tended towards timeliness and learnability, no longer simply pursuing famous works. Although the application of literary works in teaching is still controversial, many scholars believe that they have irreplaceable advantages, such as interest and the ability to reflect social life. It is necessary to appropriately select literary works in textbooks, but their proportion should be limited to ensure the achievement of teaching objectives. The potential application of literary works as a second language teaching resource in intermediate and advanced Chinese language teaching needs further development.

3、 Classic Novel Reading Course: Overview of Course Setting

In depth exploration of the status and role of Chinese classic novel reading courses in the system of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Firstly, it is pointed out that the existing curriculum system needs innovation, and the classic novel reading course has emerged in this context, aiming to enrich the teaching resources of intermediate and advanced Chinese language, provide more detailed teaching objectives and curriculum settings. Secondly, the connection and differences between classical novel reading courses, comprehensive courses, and reading courses were analyzed, emphasizing their unique teaching content and objectives, such as cultivating discourse reading comprehension ability, understanding and applying discourse grammar and contextual information, etc. Next, the positioning and value of the classic novel reading course were elaborated. As an important part of the curriculum chain, by reading the original novel, vocabulary and grammar knowledge were expanded, contextual perception ability was enhanced, and the ability to grasp the story plot and character emotions was improved. At the same time, relevant history and culture were understood. In addition, the main characteristics and values of the classic novel reading course were summarized, such as strong storytelling, strong timeliness, strong discourse, strong sense of challenge, strong sense of experience, and strong sense of acquisition. These characteristics help learners learn and master Chinese in real contexts, understand and grasp the structural characteristics and coherence of discourse, and understand and feel Chinese culture. Finally, the teaching objectives and philosophy of the classic novel reading course were clarified, including studying the language and cultural knowledge in the text, understanding the specific content of the novel text and its true meaning in the discourse context, cultivating students' ability to accurately interpret the content of the text in combination with the historical background, as well as their confidence and ability for self-directed learning. The key points of implementing teaching philosophy include comprehensive comprehension of texts, cross-cultural understanding, contextualized understanding, and the cultivation of independent reading ability.

4、 Teaching of Classic Novel Reading Course: Theoretical Basis

In depth exploration of the teaching theoretical basis of Chinese classic novel reading courses, emphasizing the influence of course nature and characteristics on teaching objectives, concepts, focus, and method selection. The key words for course implementation are "studying" and "understanding", representing teaching methods and objectives respectively. The theoretical foundation involves cognitive linguistics, task-based teaching, interactive linguistics, discourse analysis, and contextual theory, which play different roles in teaching. Cognitive linguistics emphasizes the cognitive construction between language and the real world, and task-based teaching is reflected in students' pre class preparation and teachers' pre reading of questions. Interactive linguistics is reflected in the interaction between teachers and students, as well as between students and the characters in the work. Discourse analysis focuses on the influence of communicative and social factors on language use, providing a perspective for novel text analysis. The context theory emphasizes the importance of contextual information in text understanding, pointing out that language meaning depends on a wide range of conceptual bases, which are often implicit. These theories provide strong support and inspiration for the teaching of classic novel reading courses.

5、 Teaching of Classic Novel Reading Course: Examples of Teaching Methods

In depth exploration was conducted on the teaching methods of Chinese classic novel reading courses, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive understanding of novel texts. Due to the limitations of international students in Chinese language knowledge, language proficiency, and cross-cultural understanding, the concept of "teaching and learning complement each other" needs to be adopted in teaching, constantly absorbing linguistic theories and research results to improve classroom teaching effectiveness. The teaching content is divided into four aspects: word reading, discourse reading, contextual reading, and cultural reading, which are interrelated and cannot be completely separated.